Tales of Edolas
by Loteva
Summary: What happened after magic disappeared from Edolas? Stories starring the adorable Edo characters. / 01. A Tale of the Noble Knight - Natsu has a problem. Will Gray and the rest of the guild be able to help him?/ ON-HOLD
1. Preface: Once Upon A Time

Author: Loteva

Title: Tales of Edolas: 00. Preface

Written: 27-28.09.2012

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: The introduction to my stories about Edolas' characters. Enjoy!

* * *

Tales of Edolas

* * *

Preface

Once Upon A Time...

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was an universe. It was very much alike all the other universes, as we could find there peace and war, love and hatred, harmony and chaos. The only thing which distinguished it from all its counterparts was magic. This glorious energy, by some called the essence of life, was flowing freely through the entire universe and its inhabitants, infinite and immeasurable. Some of the people over there had enough magic power and talent to learn how to use it, and they had become known as mages. Soon after the mages gathered together and formed guilds, providing their services to the non-magic population for profit. In one of the countries of this universe, the Kingdom of Fiore, there were many powerful guilds, the most notable proudly called Fairy Tail._

_This story isn't about this universe._

_The universe mentioned above had a twin; a mirror image, where everything and everyone was reversed. Therefore, while in the first universe the magic was present in living bodies and everlasting, in the second one it's resources were limited and it was mostly stored within objects. The only living beings who had magic inside their bodies was the race of Exceed, living in the Kingdom of Extalia. Due to their magic abilities, they were considered guardian angels and their queen a god by the people which inhabited this world's most powerful country, the Kingdom of Edolas._

_Faced with the shortage of magic and a true danger of exhausting all its resources in just a few decades, the benevolent ruler of Edolas, King Faust, had to undertake drastic measures to ensure the stable supply of magic for his people. In the royal edict, all of Edolas' magic was declared the sole property of the Kingdom and it was to be controlled in its entirety by the monarchy._

_The consequences of the edict were far-reaching. The magic guilds were disbanded and the trade strictly monitored by the government. The mages who disobeyed the new decree became outlaws, hunted down with extreme prejudice by the royal army. The last magic guild in Edolas which managed to successfully escape the purge and evade the subsequent pursuit, led by the relentless Captain Erza Knightwalker, was Fairy Tail._

_Meanwhile, King Faust with help of his advisor Byro found a way to access the infinite source of magic. He forged ahead with his plans for the greater good of the Kingdom, even after experiencing personal loss as his son, the young Prince, turned missing, presumed dead after months of fruitless search._

_The preparations took seven long years. Finally, the time had come to fulfill the wishes of infinite magic. The amazing amount of magic was sucked out from another universe and stored into a gigantic lacrima, to the joy and awe of the people of Edolas._

_In obscurity stays the real reason for King's next actions. Many speculate he was overcome with the grief after the loss of his son and death of his wife later on. The fact remains that King Faust in a fit of insanity ordered the sacrilegious attack on Extalia._

_The blasphemy didn't go unpunished, to the eternal misery of Edolas' citizens. The horrible Great Demon Lord Dragneel and his two servants, Redfox and Marvell, ascended from the deepest pits of hell, planning to plunge the world into darkness. King Faust, though nobly made a stand against their invasion, was soundly defeated. But even this crushing victory wasn't enough to appease demon's hunger for destruction. The Great Demon Lord Dragneel craved for widespread anguish above all, thus he took away what was the most dear to the people of Edolas – their magic. In bright pillars of vividly bright energy it was siphoned off out of this world, lost and gone forever. Along magic disappeared the race of Exceed, thereby the Kingdom became devoid of their angelic protection and farther crippled._

_The victorious Great Demon Lord Dragneel raged amongst the devastation he brought, his power unchallenged. Despair was settling into the hearts of the people, as they watched helplessly while the invaders levelled down the large portions of the Royal City, turning buildings into dust with single blows. But one man dared to defy the Great Demon Lord's conquest, his bravery giving back hope to the people. This man was the son of King Faust, Prince Gerard, who miraculously came back to the Kingdom in its time of need._

_People cheered on their champion as the fierce battle against the Great Demon Lord Dragneel commenced. They fought to the standstill, neither willing to give ground to the other, as their powers were evenly matched. Eventually, with the final exchange of blows, Prince broke through his opponent's guard and ultimately defeated him. With a bloodcurdling howl, spitting idle curses and threats, the Great Demon Lord Dragneel and his two servants returned to hell, where they were sealed away again._

_The coronation of King Gerard took place immediately after, to the general approval of the grateful people of Edolas. Although their hero and new monarch couldn't restore the magic, he instantly assumed his duties, beginning with the difficult task of rebuilding the Royal City from the ruins it has been reduced to by the invaders. His strong belief that the world can go on without magic gave hope for a better future to those still disillusioned with the loss of it._

_With King Gerard's reign, the royal edict regarding the seizure of all magic became null and void and all the outlaw former mages were granted amnesty. For this reason, the pardoned Fairy Tail guild arrived to the Royal City and offered its help with the reconstruction, which was gladly accepted._

_This story starts then, in the beginning of the new era, the Era Without Magic..._

* * *

Bibliography

"History of Edolas" vol. XVII "The Twilight of Magic" Royal City, X785

Blackwolf, Gajeel. "The King is dead, long live the King!" Edolas Times 16 Jul. X784: 1-5

* * *

A/N2: I thought up Edo Gajeel's surname and the titles of references. Also, I'll be using Gerard instead of Jellal.

Please let me know what you think and vote in the poll on my profile! Thanks!


	2. A Tale of the Noble Knight

Author: Loteva

Title: Tales of Edolas. 01. A Tale of the Noble Knight

Written: 06.10 – 10.11.2012

Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

Tales of Edolas

* * *

Chapter 1

A Tale of the Noble Knight

* * *

The guild hall of Fairy Tail was always a rowdy place and the fall of King Faust's tyranny induced even more boisterous activity there. Thanks to King Gerard's pardon, the guild headquarters had been relocated to the Royal City, as the former mages didn't have to worry anymore about being pursued by the army. They have taken up the task of reconstruction with alacrity, which was enough to dispel any misgivings the citizens would have because of their criminal reputation. All was finally well and the guild members rejoiced in the fact they can party without looking over their shoulders in fear of being discovered.

All was well, but not for one of them.

Gray Surge, his advances once again spurned by Juvia, sat with a sigh next to the morose figure at the bar. The person was nursing a drink while slouching in a depressed manner over the counter. _Poor sap... _Gray thought, momentarily forgetting about his own romantic disappointment in face of such a pitiful sight. Well, it sometimes helps to see that others have it worse.

The prolonged groan was emitted from the person as he pushed himself upright and downed his drink in one gulp, slamming the glass down.

'Mirajane, another one!' he ordered tipsily.

'Maybe you should slow down a little,' the barmaid objected.

'To hell with slowing down! Another round!'

'Natsu?' Gray did a double-take as he saw the depressed guy proceeding to get completely sloshed was in fact his best friend, Natsu Dragion.

Mirajane giggled. 'How didn't you recognize him earlier, Gray?' she teased.

He adjusted his checked scarf to hide the embarrassed blush. She had a point, what kind of a dolt he was not to recognize Natsu, while he was the only person in the guild with pink hair?

Thankfully, Natsu, as a true friend would do, spared him from giving any retort by taking the spotlight to himself. The normally reserved and polite guy noisily swallowed the contents of his glass and hiccuped.

'Annoothe' one,' he slurred.

'I think that's enough for you,' Mirajane replied firmly and took away his empty glass to wash it.

He watched after her in mourning, as he knew she wouldn't allow him to drink anymore this evening. Then, accepting yet another defeat, he deflated and slumped down, assuming his previous half-horizontal position on the counter.

'Hey, Natsu, what's the matter?' Gray asked concernedly.

'… ughh...mmmhhhmmm...' he mumbled something unintelligible.

'What did you say?' Gray leaned over, trying to catch anything else.

'...my baby...'

'What?!' A baby? Natsu had a baby? Gray almost flipped out at the mere thought of Natsu as a father to anyone. No wonder he was drinking, that was freaking huge! He couldn't take care of himself right, not to mention start his own family! There was also a possibility that the baby's mother was the real issue. Probably she didn't want Natsu to claim his parental rights. Maybe she had found some other guy to raise the child with and that's why Natsu was so depressed. Or maybe... she was dead and now Natsu had to take care of it all by himself? No matter what it was, Gray was determined to help out his friend. He gently shook Natsu's shoulder, but to no avail. Natsu just smacked his lips and snored away drunkenly.

'Hi, Mira! A beer, please,' Lucy Ashley plopped on the barstool on the other side of the sleeping lump of flesh.

'Right away,' Mirajane, who has already returned from the kitchen, chimed, passing her the tankard.

'Thanks,' Lucy threw her head back and took a large gulp. 'Aaahh! That was good!' she smiled in bliss and put it down, not caring that she spilled a little. Gray regarded her suspiciously. Was she the mother? She seemed to be the only girl close enough to this shy Natsu for that. But he didn't remember her getting any fatter recently...

'Hey, Gray, what's up?' Lucy finally took notice of his presence at the bar. 'What's that thing?' she asked with a frown of displeasure, as she also noticed the mess spread over the counter between the two of them. Gray's danger sense pinged.

'It's not a thing, it's Natsu,' he replied.

'No way! But Natsu doesn't drink!' Lucy exclaimed, astonished.

'Yeah. Strange, isn't it? I was wondering myself why would he...' Gray started explaining, but she wasn't listening anymore. Instead, she took hold of a pink mop of unruly hair and lifted Natsu's head.

'Huh. It's really him,' she confirmed to herself.

Natsu gave a particularly loud snore. The pungent smell of a half-digested alcohol drifted uninvited into her sensitive nostrils. Lucy's temper flared unexpectedly.

'Natsu, you disgusting pig!' she screamed enraged and slammed his head into the countertop. Natsu gurgled and flailed, once again awake and desperately trying to get away from her grip, but she was too strong. Gray watched the violence unfold with a mix of pity and dread.

'What the hell, Lucy?!' Natsu yelled, apparently sobered up due to pain.

'I'll show you what, you slob! Torture technique number twenty-seven!'

As Lucy put him in one of her fatal holds, turning him into a whimpering piece of flesh, Gray reflexively winced. Yep, some people definitely had it worse. At least Juvia-chan didn't abuse him when he tried to ask her out. On the other hand... Gray blushed, imagining his beloved Juvia holding him close, her curvaceous body pressed tightly against his many layers of coats...

'Ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' Meanwhile, Natsu pleaded with Lucy.

After a long pause of careful consideration, she relented and let him go.

'I'm saved,' he gasped with relief, rubbing away the pain from his arms and straightening his clothes.

'And you better don't dare to breathe at me with that smelly breath of yours again! It's disgusting!' the blonde warned him.

'Oh? It was because of my breath?' he asked, partly surprised and partly miffed, then experimentally breathed into his cupped hands and sniffed them. Immediately he wrinkled his nose and grimaced in revulsion. 'Uhh, it stinks!'

'That's what I've told you! Idiot!' Lucy crossed her arms and sat down in her previous seat, still annoyed but mostly pacified with the recent outburst of aggression.

Natsu scratched his head, perplexed. Women were so strange but Lucy decidedly took a cake when it came to strangeness! To others she seemed to be an outspoken person, but to him, she was always talking in riddles, never saying what was really on her mind and still expecting him to know what she was getting at like a psychic! Then, when he obviously didn't, she beat the crap out of him and wanted an apology! Natsu exhaled slowly to rid himself of much unneeded frustration, as the first twinges of headache appeared. The guys were much easier to deal with, more straight-forward! Natsy took a look around and spotted Gray, who was sitting at the bar with a red face and drooling a little.

'Yo, Gray,' Natsu greeted mildly, but still startling him out of whatever fantasy that was playing out in his head.

'Oh, it's just you...' he said disappointedly, as Natsu sat down beside him, taking care to have him between himself and Lucy as an improptu shield from the volatile blonde. He wasn't going to risk another beat down for breathing wrong. 'Lucy let you go already?' Gray must have sensed what he was thinking.

'Yeah...', Natsu shuddered.

'Sooo...' his friend started, remembering about the baby issue. He had to ask subtly so as not to tip his hand that he already knew from Natsu's drunken ramblings. 'Any particular reason for drinking so much? Something bothering you?'

Natsu blushed, embarrassed and ashamed at once for his uncharacteristic behaviour. 'W-well...'

Gray looked at him expectantly, urging him to continue.

'It's... personal...'

'C'mon, you can tell me,' Gray cajoled, hoping to learn who is the baby's mother.

Natsu hesitated, weighing the pros and cons and reluctantly conceded. 'Ok, I'll tell you...', he sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. 'You know, how we don't have magic anymore?', he asked rhetorically.

Gray made a 'duh' expression.

'So... without magic... I can't drive my car and... it's killing me...' Natsu explained haltingly.

Gray blanked out for a minute. 'That's what got you so depressed?' he asked in a strange tone.

Natsu nodded uncertainly, fully expecting a harsh rebuke. Everyone of them was facing the same problem and he was the only one who had trouble in coping with it. Jet and Droy would have probably told him bluntly to 'man up and suck it up'. Therefore, he was baffled and quite relieved when Gray just patted his shoulder consolingly, muttering 'Don't worry, it'll be alright', then left in haste, mumbling something under his breath which suspiciously sounded like 'orphan babies' and 'had me freaked out for nothing'.

Natsu blinked. Sometimes even he couldn't understand Gray's weirdness and they were best friends! He flinched when the guild doors were slammed shut loudly after the departing male.

'Oww! Mira, do you have any aspirin?'

'It's your own fault you have a headache! Take it as a lesson why you have to drink moderately!' Mira declared.

'No fair!' he groaned and once again laid on the counter in suffering.

No one paid attention to another person who quietly stood up from the bar and headed outside the guild hall.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a young, noble knight. Upon reaching knighthood, he left his family castle in search of fame and glory, taking nothing except his father's old sword, the freshly polished suit of armour and the best steed from the stables. He travelled across the land, never turning down challenges or shying away from giving help to the weak. Thanks to the incredible speed of his horse, the knight always appeared in time to rescue those in need. His feats of bravery were sung about by the grateful people and his fame was growing._

_Unfortunately, the bandits could no longer tolerate the knight putting a stop to their evil deeds every single time, so they came up with a dastardly plan. When the knight was sleeping in the inn, one of them slipped into the stable and killed his loyal horse. Then, just to rub salt into the wound, the sneaky villain cut off the horse's head and put it against the footboard of the sleeping knight's bed._

_Come next morning, the knight was horrified and devastated upon finding the nasty surprise in his bedding. As his anger flared out, he vowed to impale the culprit with his sword and avenge the steed, which for him wasn't just a horse, but also a friend._

_The knight quickly realized that the bandits were responsible for this outrage and he pulled out all the stops to hunt them down. However, his attempts to catch them proved largely unsuccessful. Without his loyal steed, whenever the news about the bandits' attacks reached his ears, he was always too late to arrive and defeat them. Once again the people were living in fear, as they couldn't rely on the knight's protection anymore. His reputation rapidly plummeted and no one has heard the songs about his chivalrous deeds in a long time._

_A quirk of fate had it that when the weary knight brooded over his failures with a mug of ale, the spearman he befriended during his travels was passing through the village and decided to rest for a night in the same inn. The spearman noticed the hunched posture of previously proudly straight-backed knight and approached him, feeling concerned about what brought such a change. The knight related the whole story to his friend, still tearful at the loss of his horse and ashamed at his inability to bring the perpetrators to justice. The spearman patiently heard him out and nodded sagely, thinking up the way to resolve the issue..._

* * *

A few days later, when Natsu, worn out from the long labour at the construction site, was hauling himself to the guild hall, he heard an unusual commotion, which sounded like an orchestra straight from hell playing out of tune at the direction of a conductor as deaf as a board. He was only a couple blocks away, and though at first he firmly dismissed the notion that Fairy Tail had anything to do with this cacophony, when at every step he took towards the guild the noises got louder, he had to let go of the flimsy hope. Fearing the worst, he broke into the run.

As he got there, heavily panting, he was met with a peculiar sight – most of the guild members, joined by a few prying passers-by, formed a crowd around the yard in front of the guild building. Some of them looked amused, a few were outraged, the rest sported various expressions, ranging from embarrassed to resigned. Natsu gaped in utter astonishment at the source of the hair-rising noises.

In the centre of the yard, there was literally a whole menagerie, the animals leashed to the wooden posts with thick ropes. Their screeching, howling, nickering, chirping, mooing and stomping (not to mention the bass croaking of a giant pink froghopper) comprised the worst cacophony he's ever heard.

'What... the hell...' he managed to get out.

'Hey, Natsu! Over here!' Gray, who was standing next to the middle post, hollered and waved him over, looking rather upbeat, despite the bustle around. Natsu, still reeling from the sight, complied.

'So, how do you like it?' Gray gestured at their surroundings, grinning like mad.

'What the hell is all of this?'

'Amazing, right? You don't have to thank me, it's what all friends do,' Gray proclaimed magnanimously.

Natsu looked at him quizzically.

'What are you waiting for? Pick the one you like.'

'Gray... I don't need a giant pet.'

In response, his friend bridled up.

'They're not pets, they're a replacement for your car. Hurry up, pick one and try it out,' he said matter-of-factly.

'But... well...'

'Look, that one's good,' Gray pointed at a spotted representative of dairy cattle munching the grass stoically.

'Gray, it's a cow,' Natsu deadpanned.

'Yeah, so?'

As they watched it, the ruminant mooed and promptly released the cow pie which picturesquely splattered on the ground.

'It just shat itself.'

'All animals do that, Natsu.'

Natsu shot him an incredulous look.

'Ugh! What a horrible smell! Juvia can't stand it! Let's go on the job already, Cana!' a voice rose above the tumult. Gray's head turned so quickly, it gave him a whiplash. He drank in the vision of Juvia making her way through the crowd.

'It's not that bad. Gray's so sweet to bring to the guild all those cute animals for his friend, don't you think?' Cana said gently.

Gray nodded enthusiastically, inspirited with her praise, as his hopes for currying Juvia's favour grew.

'Juvia thinks being a disturbing moron is a requirement to be Gray. Juvia should have expected all this to happen and planned beforehand for a long trip.'

His hopes were smashed down and thrown to the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench of the coldest, most turbulent ocean.

'Juvia-chan, no! Forgive me! Please, don't leave me!' he reached out his arm dramatically, grasping at air, while the retreating figure of his beloved disappeared behind the street corner. 'Nooo! What have I done!' he wailed, clutching his head in despair.

Natsu started feeling a little guilty, after all Gray went to great lengths to get for him all of these animals. He should at least try to cheer him up.

'Don't worry, she'll be back soon... I think...' he awkwardly patted Gray's shoulder.

Abruptly, his crestfallen friend turned to him. 'H-hurry and pick one. Y-you kn-know you owe me!' he said in trembling voice.

Natsu tried to raise objections.

'B-but... I don't want to ride some animal, I'm...' he meant to say 'car driver' but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw Gray looking so pitifully, like if he took another another blow, he would stay KO'ed for eternity. Natsu found himself unable to deal that final blow.

'It's ok if you don't,' Gray have him a watery smile. 'Maybe you could harness one to your car, so it will pull it,' he suggested hesitantly.

Natsu was fairly horrified at the prospect of his car effectively becoming a cart, but before he could turn it down, an ear-piercing siren wailed from all sides and with a loud stamping of boots on the curb, the yard was surrounded by armed men in blue uniforms.

'Gray Surge, you are under arrest. Give yourself up and come quietly,' boomed the order through the megaphone.

'Shit, the Royal Police!' Gray cursed, wildly looking around for a breech in their ranks to get away. 'Natsu, take that cow at least and run!'

'Wait! What are the charges against him?' the only one who had a presence of mind to ask was Mirajane.

'He is charged with breaking and entering, theft of livestock and family pets, public disturbance in the middle of the night and endangering the protected species of the wildlife,' the police officer rattled off the list of offenses committed by Gray.

'Hey! I may have done those things but I certainly don't remember endangering any protected species!' the accused defended himself.

'The froghoppers are legally protected species.'

'Since when?! They're common in Edolas!' Gray cried out.

'Friends Animal Society in Edolas convinced the King to grant the froghoppers the royal protection three days ago,' the captain shrugged his shoulders. 'Come on, we don't have all day.' His men cuffed Gray and dragged him away.

'Natsu! Remember to take a pick! We'll get it for you later! And tell Juvia-chan I love her! Oh god, what if I won't see her anymore in my life! Let me go! Noooo...' Gray's screams finally faded in the distance.

The rest of the police squad with the help of a few Fairy Tail members dispersed around the yard to take the animals back to their owners.

Lucy, who had been observing the entire debacle from the second-story window of the guild building, facepalmed. She sighed thinking of all the effort she would have to put to get the moron out of the arrest. Then she headed downstairs to see what she could do to help out.

* * *

Just as she had predicted, it took a lot of groveling, kissing ass and other methods of coercion to placate the vindictive streak in the owners of the 'borrowed' pets and convince them to drop the charges. However, even that wasn't enough as the matter of the blasted froghopper still remained. Friends Animal Society was unyielding to any kind of persuasion, probably nothing short of outright murdering them would have worked. Fairy Tail had to resort to their last option and ask for an audience in the palace. King Gerard, after hearing the whole story, burst out into hearty laughter, which bewildered his court, as they've only ever seen his serious, responsible side. In the greatest mood in weeks, it was no surprise the King granted the pardon right away, still shaking with mirth.

It seemed that Gray's stay in arrest didn't lessen his enthusiasm at all, but instead it provided him with enough time to thoroughly think things through. In result he came back teeming with new and more absurd ideas how to help Natsu and hell-bent on pulling off at least one of them. Natsu himself didn't share his friend's ardour but reluctantly participated in the crazy schemes, not wanting to appear ungrateful.

At first, Gray stuck to his initial plan and tried to find the best animal for Natsu to ride, but he quickly determined that his friend's riding abilities were abysmal. Therefore the whole plan was abandoned. Then, Gray got into his head that the car should just be replaced with another mode of transportation and began the unnecessary process of trying them all out. The results were, to put it delicately, disastrous but it didn't deter Gray in the slightest from the relentless pursuit of his goal.

It got to the point that the whole guild started making bets how long he would last. Gray would have been fine with it, if not for a fact that his beloved Juvia put her money on his failure. The most annoyed one with the idiocy was Lucy, who had to deal with the damages wrought by Gray and Natsu. Sometimes she just wanted to smash their thick skulls together to make them stop but looking at the hope reignited in Natsu's eyes she found herself unable to be so cruel to snuff it away.

However, soon it appeared she didn't have to do anything at all...

* * *

_The spearman was an experienced and resourceful man, so unsurprisingly his meditation about the knight's problem didn't take long. He came up with a a few possible and a lot of impossible solutions to undertake. He decided not to mention the latter, as it was extremely unlikely the knight would ever choose to return home in humiliation and shame, surrounded by the infamy of a coward._

_The first advice was to simply ride a new steed. Unfortunately, both the knight and the spearman quickly realized that all of the horses in the entire land pale in comparison to the knight's dead companion, whose swiftness, fierceness and bravery in battle and loyalty to its master were unparalleled._

_The failure to find the suitable replacement only encouraged the spearman to keep going, as he searched high and low in pursuit of another fast way to travel for his friend. Yet, despite his honest zeal, he came back empty-handed. Seeing the sorrow and helplessness settle heavily on the knight's shoulders, he resorted to the most desperate, final measures. He activated the darkest and foulest of all magics – the necromancy._

_If there was no horse as swift the old one, he would raise it from the dead to once again serve its master faithfully..._

* * *

The deafening bang of explosion came unexpectedly, startling everyone in the guild hall. Though it wasn't exactly uncommon to hear strange noises there, it was still louder than usual. All of the eyes landed on Levi who was tinkering with some machine of hers, as she was wont to do while bored.

'It wasn't me,' she dismissed their silent accusation with an eyeroll and went back to her work.

'Then what was that?' asked Max.

Lucy groaned in realization. 'Probably Gray and Natsu.'

'Shouldn't you go and see what they've done this time?' he inquired, only to be met with a threatening fist mere millimeters away from his nose.

'Do I look like their babysitter?' she asked.

'N-noo...' Max backed away, properly cowed.

Lucy sighed and leaned on her elbow, waiting for the two morons to come back and explain themselves. She didn't have time to get impatient because almost immediately after Gray burst through the door, frazzled. His clothes were in disorder and there was soot on his forehead and cheeks. He looked frantically around, then, spotting her at the counter, headed straight there.

'Lucy, thank goodness you're here!' he exclaimed, relieved. An open palm in his face stopped him in his tracks.

'Don't come any closer,' the blonde commanded. He gulped and nodded. 'What the hell was that explosion?'

'That's what I wanted to tell you about! You see, we tried to find another fuel for Natsu's car...' Gray began.

'And it blew up in your stupid faces?'

'Well... yes.'

'What did you pour in the tank?' asked Levi, who has come over to the bar to hear what happened.

'Umm... oil? Or something like that?'

'You're both total idiots, you know?' she put her hand on the hip. 'Oil has a set of properties different than magic. It's not compatible with the engine of Natsu's car.'

'Whatever, technomaniac, no one cares,' Lucy sneered, not allowing Levi to continue the lecture. The techlover glowered at her angrily but she didn't pay any attention to it, instead focusing back on Gray. 'Where's Natsu?'

Gray adorned a sheepish expression.

'Well, he... uhh,' he stammered uncertainly.

'Spit it out already!' she pressed him, her patience running low.

'He... I don't know where he is! After the explosion he ran somewhere.'

'And you didn't come after him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?' Lucy asked with a dangerous edge in her calm voice.

'Well, he told me to leave him alone,' Gray made a feeble attempt at justification.

'That's why you should've followed him!' Lucy smacked him upside the head and stalked through the door.

'What was that for?' Gray rubbed the sore spot.

'For not thinking, you moron,' Levi replied. 'Honestly, you deserve another one just for using oil as fuel and a whole beating for blowing Natsu's car up,' she shook her head in incredulity. 'You got off easy.'

'Oh crap,' Gray paled, 'what if she finds Natsu? She'll kill him!'

'I wouldn't be too worried about them,' Levi said cryptically.

'Huh? What do you mean?' he asked but she's gone away already.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucy angrily tore through the streets, still fuming over Gray's lack of sensitivity and general brains. She couldn't believe it. He blew up the most cherished thing in Natsu's life and expected him to be fine?! The nerve of him!

Though irate, Lucy had her wits about her, as she methodically checked over Natsu's usual haunts, yet with no success. Only by a chance she spotted him sitting on the stairs overlooking the river harbour. Seeing no real damage on him besides some scratches and soot, she sighed with relief.

Hesitantly, she approached him, running over what to say in her head. Thankfully, she was saved from making awkward attempts at conversation.

'Oh, it's you, Lucy...' Natsu said bleakly, noticing her, and patted the place next to him. She took a seat, opting for silence.

She didn't know how long they remained there, each lost in a thought, staring at the harbour, the ships coming and going, the gulls flying around like the white specks on the green sky. The two weren't doing anything, just sharing the moment. It was surprisingly peaceful and nice, Lucy mused, taking a peek at Natsu's profile. He rested his chin on the palm of his left hand. His expression was far from the uncertainty which usually clouded it, the eyes focused on some point in the distance, the brow creased in deep thought. The utter intensity in his suddenly sharper, more defined features took Lucy aback. She forgot all about their surroundings and the reason she came there, instead trying to figure out what was on her friend's mind.

Natsu, feeling her curious stare, turned to her.

'Is there something on my face?' he asked self-consciously.

Lucy smiled lightly and reached her hand up to him.

'As a matter of fact, there is,' she said, wiping away the soot from his cheek.

The gentle touch caused a pleasurable tingle to dance on his skin, quickly spreading across his body. After all, it was the gentlest she's ever been with him, taking into consideration all the times she subjected him to her practiced strangleholds. A little pink appeared on his face.

Lucy instantly dropped her hand and placed it on her lap, trying not to let this reaction affect her. _Nothing happened! It was just a friendly gesture!_, she told herself firmly.

'About your car...' she finally broached the topic of the incident that brought her there in the first place.

'I'm fine, Lucy,' he cut her off, his confidence startling her. 'I'm going to repair it and then try as long as it takes to make it work again. I'll never give up, so you don't have to worry!' he grinned.

Lucy smiled back, happy to see him so enthusiastic and hopeful. It seemed Gray's idiocy paid off, getting him out of the melancholy and back to life. Then, the smile died on her lips as she fully realized what Natsu had said.

'I wasn't worried about you, stupid!' she growled and before Natsu had a chance to refute her words, she tackled him to the ground and put in a painful full-body hold.

'Ow, ow, ow! Lucy, I'm sorry! Let me go!' he exclaimed.

Lucy smirked as she released him.

'That'll teach you to think I would worry. As if!' she declared haughtily. 'I'm going back to the guild since you're not blown up along your car. Bye!' she gave a short wave.

_Didn't she just contradict herself?_, Natsu thought watching her walk away. Then he put his hand on his cheek, right where she's touched, and smiled lightly.

Lucy strolled down the street in an exceptionally good mood, which she couldn't rationally explain in any way, so she just enjoyed it while it lasted. She felt like finally things were looking up and everything was going her way for once. Even the nice, balmy weather seemed to reflect her upbeat mood.

It was then that she's found the last, missing piece necessary to solve the puzzle that was Natsu's transportation problem. It was leaning against the dumpster in the back alley, which she was passing, dented, scratched, lacking important parts but in her eyes still a treasure on par with the holy grail. Lucy didn't have to think twice – she snatched it up and hurried to the guild. There was some work to be done and she just knew the best person for the job.

* * *

A few days later Natsu was persistently fixing his car when Gray paid him a visit, as he was prone to do every single day since the exploding incident. He claimed he wanted to help, but more often then not he was hiding out from the people after his blood in the garage's supply closet or he spent the time chatting. Natsu normally wouldn't mind him but the constant distraction started getting on his nerves after a while. That's why he ignored his friend's entry, instead focusing on the mess under the hood of the car.

'Hey, Natsu, guess what?' Gray asked with the glint of excitement in his eyes.

Natsu inwardly groaned. So it was a chat this time? If he was forced to listen to the ode about Juvia again, he would surely snap. He kept his gaze on the car's innards steadily, wishing for Gray to get a hint and go away. Of course, his wishes weren't granted, as his scatterbrained friend hovered behind him, clearly not going anywhere without telling him whatever it was.

'What is it, Gray?' he asked tiredly.

'I've got a gift for you. Want to see?'

'A gift?' Natsu looked at him carefully, intrigued.

'I guarantee you'll love it. It's outside,' Gray wore a self-satisfied smirk.

'Alright,' Natsu said, his interest picked. He placed the tools back in the box and cleaned his hands with the rag.

When they stepped outside, Natsu was struck by the vision of beauty – a sleek, graceful and, most importantly, red beast. The sheer magnificence and finesse of its build rendered him speechless with adoration. Close to going on his knees and weeping with joy, he looked worshipfully at the miracle in flesh.

'What are you waiting for? Try it out already!' Gray snapped him out of the daze.

'Gray, it's... it's... amazing,' he breathed out in wonder.

'You can thank me later. Besides, others in the guild helped out too. Now, get on it!'

Natsu nodded tearfully and approached it. He reverently stroke its back. As he couldn't resist its alluring siren call any longer, he mounted it comfortably and with just a move of his legs it took off swiftly as an arrow. The only possible destination was the Fairy Tail guild hall.

He rode right through the open front door, at the moment uncaring that he left dirt tracks on the floor, too overjoyed to think about such trivialities. He wanted to shout out his happiness for the whole world to hear and nothing would hold him back!

'Hey, guys, I'm back! Natsu Fireball is back!' he yelled from the entrance at the top of his lungs, which instantly garnered the attention of the entire guild. The many gasps, cheers and whistles welcomed him, causing a warm feeling in his chest, as he laughed exuberantly, circling all over the hall to show off his brand new transportation. Without further ado, the celebration commenced in earnest, even more loud and cheerful than usual.

During the course of this wild evening, when Natsu parted from his 'baby' to have a well-deserved drink, he caught Lucy looking at him. She smiled brightly and he toasted her.

After she broke the eye contact, she saw Levi giving her a pointed look. As the blue-haired girl mouthed 'You owe me' and smirked evilly, Lucy nodded and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. As if she needed a reminder!

And when the blonde faced away from Levi to watch Natsu laughing and merrily riding his bicycle around the hall, she thought that all of it was worth the effort in the end.

* * *

_The gods in their infinite wisdom and mercy saw it fit to stop the resurrection ritual from being successfully performed, which in turn saved the spearman's soul from the taint of the darkest magic and eternal damnation. Yet it didn't spare him the utter devastation caused by his shameful inability to help the knight. Little did he know, it wasn't the end to the otherwordly interventions._

_The noble knight's guardian angel, who invisibly accompanied him on all of his adventures, guiding him and protecting from harm, no longer could stand the anguish and misery of its charge. It begged the gods to let it take a mortal form and its humble request was mercifully granted but on the one condition – that it would stay in the world of the living, never allowed to return to its former existence as a heavenly being._

_The angel made the greatest sacrifice without hesitation and fell from the heaven like a blazing meteor. It assumed the form of a beautiful blonde woman._

_The angel set out on a journey into the deepest reaches of the forest in order to find the only person able to replace the old loyal horse of the knight. It was the old, powerful witch who thanks to the magic rituals and elixirs retained her youthful visage. She easily consented to give her help in exchange demanding only one insignificant, little thing – a favour. The angel saw no reason to deny it and she sealed the deal by handing the witch the precious lock of blonde hair._

_The witch casted spells and weaved her magic tirelessly for three days and three nights, after which she proudly presented the most magnificent horse to ever grace the land. Its beauty, speed, agility, bravery and loyalty unparalleled, it was the ideal steed for the noble knight. The angel, unable to sense her charge anymore due to attaining the human condition, brought the horse to the spearman, who was the only one knowing the whereabouts of the knight._

_The noble knight, overjoyed by the unexpected gift, mounted the steed and went to battle as soon as the news of another bandits' attack reached his ears. With the new horse companion, he could once again come swiftly to the rescue of the villagers. Before long, his fame surpassed its former glory and the songs about his virtuous deeds were sung across the land by its grateful people. The angel stayed by his side, silent and unseen, guiding and protecting him. She quickly forgot about the favour, however the same couldn't be said about the witch. But that is a tale for another time..._

* * *

A/N: It's the longest oneshot I've written up to date. Let me know what you think! Also, feel free to vote in the poll. The next tale will probably be about Erza Knightwalker.


End file.
